News and information on hunting, archery and fishing in South and Central Texas. Boating, lake level and river level information provided for Braunig Lake, Lake Calaveras, Canyon Lake, Medina Lake and others. Whitetail deer and turkey season information and tips.

–Chad Love
Hunters, hikers and wildlife watchers in Tennessee have a new 1,000-acre wildlife management to recreate on, thanks to a generous gift from some local businessmen, who graciously donated the land to the people of Tennessee out of a sense o…
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The Bear Encounter (299.99), that is. I am testing new compound bows for under $300 and in doing so have found myself shocked—shocked I tell you—at how good this bargain-basement model is. An honest-to-goodness pleasure to shoot, the Encounter is quiet and damned accurate.

In this video, I shoot it head-to-head at 30 yards with a far-more-expensive model that I really like for it’s forgiveness. Of the two groups you see, the tighter, second group came from the Encounter. That was not typical; the other bow outshot the Encounter in most subsequent groups—but not by much. For such a short (30.5 axle-axle), light (3.7 pounds) bow, it’s a real shooter.

If you want to drop $900 on a top-end bow, I don’t blame you one bit. Among other things, you’ll almost certainly get more speed (the Encounter is just 310 IBO). But it must be said that there’s not a whole lot you’ll be able to do with it, from a hunting perspective, that you can’t do with this $300 Bear. It is a fantastic bargain.

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An Ontario hunting guide is facing a hefty fine and the loss of his hunting and guiding privileges after admitting he used dogs and motorboats to herd deer toward his clients.

From this story in the Duluth News Tribune:Grant Gustafson, 42, pleaded guilty to hunting swimming deer, chasing deer with a motorboat, discharging a firearm from a motorboat, unlawfully hunting wolves, killing moose without a license, attaching a game seal to a moose that had been killed by another person, using an illegal firearm and making a false statement to a Ministry of Natural Resources conservation officer. Gustafson — who has a record trophy whitetail deer to his credit — was fined $40,000 Canadian ($38,976 American) and is banned from hunting for 10 years and from guiding hunters for two years.

According to the story, Gustafson used dogs to chase deer off islands in open water on Lake of the Woods, then used boats to drive the swimming deer toward his clients. Gustafson also allegedly took hunters out on boats, and if the deer was deemed large enough, the deer were shot while swimming. But wait, there’s more! Gustafson also allegedly directed clients to shoot wolves out of season, used a center-fire rifle in a primitive-only hunting zone and ran a smuggling ring that supplied orphaned children to Asian sweatshops.

OK, so maybe I made up that last part, but geez, the rest of it is bad enough. And this is a guy who, in 1995, shot the highest-scoring non-typical whittail ever taken in Ontario, a bruiser that scored 250 1/8. No word on whether it was shot from a deer stand while running or shot from alongside a boat while dog-paddling, but it does make you wonder…

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What’s in a name? Plenty, if you’re a California hunter trying to hold on to your hunting heritage in a state that is increasingly making that harder to do.
From this story on redding.com:A bill in the state Legislature to change the na…

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Would you be able to climb thirty feet up a tree to avoid a bear — after the bear had already chewed on you for a while? That’s the situation an Alaskan man found himself in recently when he stumbled upon a bear and her cub while hiking south of Anchorage.

From this story on abc.com:A 30-year-old Alaska man mauled by a bear pleads for help in a recorded 911 call, telling the dispatcher he’s up a tree and can hear the animal huffing below him. In the recording released by Alaska State Troopers, Ben Radakovich tells the dispatcher to send an ambulance, saying he is “bleeding bad.”Radakovich climbed 30 feet up the tree after he was mauled Sunday morning south of Anchorage by a bear with her cub.

According to the story, it took rescuers almost two hours to get Radakovich down from the tree and to a local hospital. Two things stand out about that story. One, the incredibly cheesy graphics of the story package. Do we really need poorly-rendered video-game recreations of an incident to get the point? And two, this dude managed to get away from the bear and scamper up the nearest tree.

Now, thirty feet doesn’t sound like a lot when you’re on the ground, but thirty feet up when you’re actually thirty feet up? That’s another story altogether. I’m no expert tree climber, and under normal circumstances I probably couldn’t get my uncoordinated a** thirty feet up into the branches of a tree if my life depended on it. But I guess when your life really does depend on it, the adrenaline rush that comes from being a bear’s chew toy could transform even the slowest of us into part monkey.

How far do you think you could make it up a tree in the same situation?

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A new study says that woolly mammoths were done in by a combination of climate change, shifting habitat and, to a lesser degree, those pesky Paleolithic hunters.
From this story on huffingtonpost.com:
Woolly mammoths were apparently dri…

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Finally, Disney is getting with the program. Rather than another damsel in distress flick, we’ve got a “Brave” Princess who fights for her own hand, rebels against her family’s expectations, and is an all around badass with a bow. No more waiting for Prince Charming! This comes on the coattails of the Katniss Everdeen Hunger Games archery hoopla, and can only bring more popularity and hype to the sport.

The movie comes out on June 22, and I’m not sure if there is any hunting in it (wouldn’t that be a far cry from Bambi) but the preview does suggest that Merida, the fiery redheaded heroine, shoots a bear.

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People ask me about affordable break action guns. I usually tell them to buy used because there just aren’t many good ones around (CZ is about it). Now there’s another to add to the short list: the Franchi Instinct.

Besides restyling its semiautos, Franchi revamped its O/U line, introducing the Instinct L and SL. Part of that restyling involved shrinking the pricetag significantly. The Instinct L has a steel receiver, the SL has a lightweight alloy frame.

I have been shooting a 12 gauge, 28-inch barreled Instinct L lately. Mine weighs 7 ¼ pounds (quite a bit more than advertised, but that’s okay. If you want a very light gun there is the SL) and it balances and points fairly well. It has 2 ¾ and 3-inch chambers, a barrel selector on its automatic safety and mechanical triggers.

In rethinking the O/U line, Franchi wisely got rid of the Euro-style recoil pads that ruined the otherwise traditional lines of their guns. The Instinct L has a traditional black rubber pad that goes well with the rest of the gun’s look, which you would have to call “plain-traditional.” This gun has satin-finished walnut, decent wood to metal fit and clean checkering on its fore end and Prince of Wales grip. The receiver has only a little bit of engraving, which is okay, because the receiver is case colored, and the stripey blues and browns provide all the decoration this gun requires. The ejectors and monoblock are jeweled, which is always a nice touch on a break action.

The gun comes with three choke tubes and a discreet orange bead. It works, it shoots straight, and it lists for $1,049. I have seen it in stores for $999. At that price, it is a good deal of gun for the money. The lighter, silver-receivered SL sells for $1,349.

A few different manufacturers over the years have told me that when people buy O/Us they want a gun that has lots of nice engraving; they want to feel like they have stepped up, or even “arrived.” Fine. I have some guns like that, but sometimes you just want to take a break action gun hunting without worrying about it. You want something reliable and not fancy that can wear the honest scars of a hard hunt without ruining its looks or upsetting you – a “working O/U” as it were. The Instinct L would be that kind of gun.

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The other morning as I was walking the dogs around my neighborhood, I saw not one, but two sets of paired-up bobwhites scurrying amongst the edge cover along the road, plus I could hear several other males voicing their plaintive desire …

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The Giant Squid (Architeuthis dux) is so elusive that the first photograph of a live specimen in its natural habitat wasn’t captured until 2004. Much of what scientists have been able to learn about them comes from specimens they’ve gathered from the undigested beaks found in the stomachs of their only known predator, the Sperm Whale. So when high-profile Australian angler and outdoor journalist Al McGlashan found a nearly whole specimen 30 miles off Jervis Bay earlier this month, the news was bound to create a stir. When a blue shark attacked the carcass while McGlashan was filming a segment on the find for his “Big Fish, Small Boat” TV show, well, the news went viral. A minute-long YouTube video of the encounter racked up 5 million hits and newspaper accounts of the run-in turned up from South American to India.

McGlashan—whose photographs have appeared in Marlin, Sportfishing, Fly Fishing in Salt Waters, and Salt Water Sportsman magazines—provided exclusive unseen video footage of the encounter to Field & Stream and shared the story and photos behind the discovery, which he ranks among the top experiences in a storied angling career.

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Right at the top of the list of people I wish were still among us is Finn Aagaard, who departed for happier hunting grounds 12 years ago. He was a neat guy, and one of the very few of our profession who is defying Jim Carmichel’s dictum that there’s nothing deader than a dead gun writer.

Finn’s writing is like that of Jack O’Connor—another exception to the rule. It contains a ton of experience, great common sense, strong opinions, and humor. This book, which is a compilation of his articles for The American Rifleman, is a 302-page jewel that covers cartridges, rifles, scopes, and hunting in general. It also contains an excellent and insightful foreword by John Barsness which is must reading for anyone who wants to truly appreciate Finn.

Aagaard was no fan of high tech, and would not care for much of what is being flogged today by the gun biz. He liked Mauser actions, old cartridges, and low-power scopes. He did not believe in shooting at long range, since the job of a hunter, if he is really that, is to get close.

Finn governed himself by a strict code of ethics. He detested the idea of shooting something for amusement. If you were going to eat it, you could pull the trigger, but otherwise, no. Once, we came upon a tank (a Texas term for a livestock pond) filled with snapping turtles of a size not seen since dinosaurs walked the Lone Star State. I picked out a reptile the size of a triceratops and raised my rifle.

“Don’t,” he said, and fixed me with a glare filled with the Wrath of the Northmen. I didn’t. And I didn’t bring up the idea again.

He was also thorough. Once, as preparation for a seminar in which he was to speak on bullet placement, he shot an aoudad (I think), cut away one side of the animal, and took photos of where everything was located. No diagrams for Mr. Aagaard.

But above all he was a fine, clear writer who also knew how to tell a story and who knew what he was talking about, and you just can’t do better than that. Guns and Hunting is $34.95 from safaripress.com.

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The Pennsylvania Game Commission just wrapped up a survey asking questions to some 6,000 randomly selected Keystone State deer hunters. According to the preliminary report, the 3,572 responses paint a picture of the “average” PA whitetail hunter, who happens to be 47-years-old, has 29 years of hunting experience, lives in a rural area, was taught to hunt by a parent or grandparent, and is in good-to-excellent health.

And according to the stats, that hunter is most likely to:

–Hunt to relax, enjoy nature, and escape from everyday concerns (93%, the other options were “to harvest a deer” or “spend time with family and friends who hunt”) –Not harvest a buck (only 18% did) –Butcher own deer (51% said they did it all, 37% paid a processor) –Hunt private land (48% hunted private, 34% hunted a combination of public/private) –Hunt for free (only 5% leased land) –Not use a trail camera (81% didn’t own a one) –Not use an elevated stand, urine-based lures, or drives to bag a deer.

So, I’m wondering: How do you compare? Who is the average Field & Stream deer hunter?

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Looking for a unique gift for the hunter in your life who already has everything? Then here’s a unique vintage hunting-related kit that might fit the bill, especially when next fall’s Nosferatu season rolls around.

From this story on nation.com:Worried about attacks from the undead? The answer could be at hand with a 19th-century vampire-slaying kit, “almost complete and in good condition”, about to be put up for auction in Britain. The kit contains a mallet and stakes – presumably for hammering into the bloodsucker’s heart – plus pistol, steel bullet mould, Rosary beads, an 1857 Anglican prayer book and a crucifix, Tennants Auctioneers said in a statement.

Housed in a mahogany box, the kit also contains glass bottles containing holy water, holy earth, and garlic paste for warding off vampires, the BBC reported.

According to the story, the kit will go up for auction in North Yorkshire, England on June 22, in the same area Bram Stoker wrote his classic “Dracula” in 1897. The kit, which may (or may not) be a novelty item, is apparently generating a lot of international attention from collectors. But looking at the contents, I can’t help but feel the kit needs to be updated a bit. Where’s the modern vampire-specific ammunition? Vampire Edition tactical AR and sidearm? The zombie craze isn’t gonna last forever, you know. Maybe vampires are the next big shooting fad? This kit would seem to indicate that, unlike zombies, at least vampire guns had some sort of historical precedent.

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Our popular “We (Heart) Guns” target contest is back for the third year. The idea is simple: Shoot the special target insert in the July issue—or download a PDF of the target. First shoot it with a gun. Then shoot it with a camera. Submit the photo, and a panel of judges will pick the most creative shot as the winner.

Once again Smith & Wesson has donated a rifle as the first-place prize. For 2012, S&W have outdone themselves. This is not just any rifle, it is a Performance Center-tuned M&P15 5.56 hunting rifle (pictured here) so nifty that my first thought on seeing it was: “Where’s mine?”

Since the contest rules forbid me from entering, the rifle will never be mine but it can be yours. With it, you will be the terror of coyotes, zombies, and zombie-coyotes in your neighborhood. Ammunition isn’t cheap anymore, exactly, but on the other hand, digital “film” is free, so get to shooting and click here to enter your photos.

As always we will post a gallery of the best entries here on the site as we (and by “we” I mean our New York staff, not me and Dave) ponder the winner.

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The day I bought a lifetime Oklahoma hunting and fishing license, my life got exponentially simpler. No longer would I have to keep track of a yearly hunting license, a yearly fishing license, a state duck stamp and separate tags for deer gun, muzzleloader and archery seasons.

No more thick wad of paper in my wallet, no more worrying that I was carrying the wrong license. Just one simple plastic card, sort of a redneck “One Ring to Rule Them All.” It’s a wonderful thing, but the state of Louisiana just did it one better.

From this story on nola.com:Gov. Bobby Jindal has signed into law a bill to allow those who frequent the outdoors to show they have the necessary permits for hunting and fishing on their drivers’ licenses. Senate Bill 224 by Sen. Neil Riser, R-Columbia, will give drivers who hunt, fish and boat a chance to carry fewer documents.

The law, which goes into effect Aug. 1, directs the state Office of Motor Vehicles, starting July 1, 2013, to allow drivers to have special designations — known as “endorsements” — on their licenses indicating they have “lifetime hunting or fishing licenses,” a certificate of completion of firearms and hunter education courses or a certificate of completion of boating safety classes.

That’s a brilliant idea, and now I’m wondering how many other states have a similar setup for their lifetime license holders? Does yours? It’s convenient, no doubt about it, but I’ll play Devil’s Advocate here and point out that there is something of a downside to convenience, and that’s nostalgia.

Those old yearly licenses, with their state and federal duck stamps signed across the face, those frayed, grimy, blood-stained deer tags, with the exact date of each deer I ever shot punched out, are important artifacts, physical touchstones to our individual pasts. I’ve still got every license, tag, duck stamp and permit I’ve ever purchased, dating back to my teens. Maybe someday I’ll make a collage or something out of it, but those physical memories, so satisfyingly chronological, abruptly stopped the year I got my lifetime license.

Is the convenience worth the loss of cherished mementos? Sometimes I wonder. What say you? If your state offered a program like Louisiana’s, would you do it?